13 weeks, 4 days

Today was my second appointment at Nativiti. I met Karen, another midwife who works there and who I will be seeing until Katherine is back from her maternity leave. All of my bloodwork came back great and I found out that my blood type is A positive. I never knew this so it's great to know!

My mom went with me so she could hear the heartbeat. It was another surreal experience to hear the heartbeat on the Doppler! But it was so amazing. The heartbeat was 130 bpm and such a beautiful sound! My due date has also been moved back a bit to December 11th, so now I'm only 13 weeks and 4 days pregnant but still in 2nd trimester. I'm feeling pretty good these days and that's what is important!

The heartbeat got me thinking about old wives tales about the sex of the baby and my mom and I were talking about them. They have a 50/50 chance of being right so I figured it would be interesting to look at a few!

Will the new moon be a girl or a boy?
According to the Chinese Gender Chart on the Bump, I'm having a girl.

They say that if the baby's heart rate is above 140, then it's a girl. If below, then it's a boy. So as of this morning, that would point to a boy.

The Mayan tale adds the mothers age at conception and the year of conception. If the result is a even number then mom is having a girl. If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way! According to this, we are having a girl.

People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy. If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl. For me, this would point to a girl.

I tried the "eye test" which I'd never heard of before. The eye test is when a “V” or “branches” appear when you pull down the skin under your left eye. If you see a “V” or “branches” in the white part, you’re having a girl. I have a “V”, so one more point for a girl.

If you eat the ends of bread, it’s a boy. If you eat the middle of the load, it’s a girl. I’ve never liked the ends of bread and always have eaten from the middle! Another point for a little girl.

If you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it’s a boy. If you were sick or felt really nauseous during your pregnancy, count on a girl. During first trimester I didn't throw up, but I’ve been extremely nauseous more often than not. So another point in the girl column.

Those are all I looked up so far and based on those it looks like the count is: girl, 6; boy, 1.

We also have some predictions in from friends and family. My mom thinks a girl. Justin thinks a girl. April says girl. But Genna says boy. Who will be correct?

13 weeks, 2 days

Last week I found out that I had possibly been exposed to Fifth disease a few weeks ago so I got some blood drawn to see if I had the antigen. I got my results this week and I am not infected and I have been exposed before! That means I'm not at risk and neither is our little one. Although I wasn't too worried about it, it's nice to know for sure.

I bought my first maternity item today because I needed a pair of shorts! I'd looked a few places but finally found a pair at JCPenney that were comfortable but not too baggy in the legs. So, at least I'm set with one pair of shorts that should last me through the summer.

I gained around 4 pounds through my first trimester which I've read is fairly average so I'm feeling pretty good about that. My nausea seems to be improving as well. School's out for the summer so I should be able to get as much rest as I need now too!

12 weeks

It's hard to believe I'm 12 weeks pregnant already, but it's true. Two nights ago I had my first dream about the baby. It was the middle of the night and the baby didn't want to sleep! Before I know it that will be my reality, but I still woke up with a smile on my face after the dream.

This week the baby is the size of a plum and almost all of the vital systems are formed. I'm still pretty tired most of the time and dealing with the nausea in the afternoons and evenings. But the end of the school year is in sight and I'm looking forward to spending the summer and second trimester at home!

Fluffy Bottoms Cloth Diaper Event!

Summer seems to be bringing a lot of exciting things on some of the blogs I follow! Starting June 1 and going through June 30, Stephanie at My New Life as a Mom will be hosting the Fluffy Bottoms Cloth Diaper Event! It's a month long cloth diaper event shedding some light on cloth diapers. There will be discussion of styles, price comparisons, misconceptions, and giveaways! If you want to get a head start on the entries, head over to check out the requirements. I'm looking forward to getting more exposure to different styles and seeing some price comparisons!

11 weeks

The past week did not go quite as quickly as others have gone but that is partially because the end of the school year is so close and that seems to make some days drag and others fly by. The past few days have been a bit better in terms of feeling sick. The mornings have been better, although the afternoons and evenings can still be rough. Still, I'm hoping the end of the constant nausea is in sight!

After reading some tips on a blog I follow, I've started entering giveaways on blogs for different baby related items. Winners are chosen at random, so I figured it was worth entering! I have as good a chance as everything else to win, right?

Well, this week I won two that I entered! I won an AIO cloth diaper and an adorable moon shaped nightlight! For the diaper, I got to choose the color I wanted so I went with a sage color because it is neutral and I don't have anything in that color yet.



The nightlight is made by KinderGlo and it never gets hot to the touch! We can change the color settings and choose between fade off in 30 minutes and stay on all night! Plus, I liked it because it was shaped like a moon!

10 weeks

It's hard to believe that I am already 1/4 of the way through my pregnancy. I have a feeling this is going to go very quickly but I am trying to value every moment even when I'm extremely fatigued and nauseous everyday. I'm hoping for that to fade in second trimester. Next month I will be in my second trimester already! Summer goes by so quickly anyway, so I cannot even imagine how it will fly this year! I pray for our little one each and every day, just praying that she or he is growing and thriving.

I've been purchasing cloth diapers as I have found deals and coupons. I'm working on building up a newborn stash with a good variety. Then I'm hoping one-size diapers will work once the baby is bigger. This diaper buying stuff is addictive though!

We're also getting ready to begin working on the nursery. We had already cleared out all of the furniture (except for the matresses as we are planning on having at least one summer visitor) and will be painting all of the walls. I haven't bought much for the nursery lately, although I'm still in love with the elephant I bought off Etsy. I think it may be my favorite item so far, although the nightlight I got at Target is definitely a close second for favorite nursery decoration.


This is from an Etsy seller and Toby really wants to get his mouth on it! She makes other animals too, but I've restrained myself so far!

This is the nightlight. I saw it in a photo of another nursery and had to go to Target to get it! It's the perfect blue to match the bits of blue in the bedding.


We also bought a set of 4 prints from Etsy that we're going to crop a bit and frame for the room.

9 weeks

Today was our first appointment at Nativiti. Justin surprised me by deciding he wanted to come along! I met Katherine who will be my midwife although she is about to have her own baby so for the next few visits I will be with one of the other midwives. Katherine will be back in plenty of time for my delivery though!

They drew blood today and I handled it without any issues! They took 5 vials of blood and I didn't even have a problem. I was very proud of myself, to be honest. They will do all of the normal tests -- blood type, Rh, STD and HIV screenings, and all of that. I also decided to do the Cystic Fibrosis screening, although it would have no impact on anything. I did decide not to do the early screenings for Downs because it's another thing that wouldn't make a difference for us. After we did blood, we went over nutrition and other information, and then since we wouldn't be able to hear the heartbeat with the doppler she asked if we wanted to go next door to the ultrasound room and see the baby!

We were able to see the baby who looked like a little gummy bear. We saw the heartbeat and just how much the baby was moving! We then were able to have a vaginal ultrasound to get a clearer picture and hear the heartbeat! The baby measured 8 weeks and 6 days. According to the Bump, the baby is about the size of a green olive now! It was a great appointment and I scheduled my next one for June 9th which is the first week school is out for the summer!